News from Westminster
It’s August, which means that Parliament is in recess and is not sitting. Whilst I will be taking some time off to spend with my family, work as a Member of Parliament continues over the summer in the constituency as usual.
The Boundary Commission have now put forward their recommendations for the new constituency boundaries. These will make all 650 constituencies a more similar size. At the moment I have around 65,000 adult constituents, which is quite small (West Dorset for example has over 80,000). Mid Dorset and North Poole is expanding to include the North Dorset ward of Stour and Allen Vale, as well as some extra homes around the edges of the constituency. I’m pleased that the Commission listened carefully to the views of local people - particularly in the Bere Regis area - when making their decisions.
I recently sent out a residents’ survey about the cost of living, including details about the Government’s “help for households” hub. Thank you to all of your who have returned it – its’ great to hear from you. Many people were not aware of the website - You can find this at https://helpforhouseholds.campaign.gov.uk/ where there is information and links to sources of help.
As well as work in Dorset and London, I travelled to the Netherlands as part of a Parliamentary delegation. We met former and current Dutch Parliamentarians, including the Deputy Prime Minister Sigrid Kaag. We discussed the importance of Bilateral friendships with our North Sea neighbours, and had constructive conversations with diplomats, civil servants and others.
More locally, I very much enjoyed attending the Corfe Mullen carnival, and it was great to chat to the various stallholders, organisations and charities that attended. A special thank you to Douch Family Funeral Directors for providing the cars for the parade again. I was honoured to be asked by them to open their International Independent Funeral Homes European Summer Conference in Christchurch, where they shared best practice and showcased all that Dorset has to offer. If you are holding an event in the constituency over the summer, and you would like your MP there, please do send me an invite, and I’ll try to come!
Once Parliament returns in September, there will again be the opportunity for you to visit. If you would like to attend Prime Minister’s Questions, my office can book tickets for you. There are only a limited number available, so please do apply well in advance. There are details on my website about the various tours that are available – please do have a look. You can also sign up for my email newsletter, or read more details about what I have been doing.
If you have an issue that you need help with, please do get in touch; email me on [email protected] or contact my office on 01202 624216. You can also follow what I’ve been doing on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram & Threads.
